Aftermath
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: After the battle with the Red Death, Hiccup is still feeling pain in the way people used to treat him. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**This is an idea I got after watching HTTYD again the other day. Enjoy. It is a two-shot, if any of you are wondering. **

_A voice. More than that, though; four voices. "It's already pretty much gone," said one. "We have to amputate the rest of it." _

"_Amputate!?" second voice shrieked. _

"_Stoick, if we don't do it now...he won't...we'll lose him, Stoick," said the first voice, obviously trying to stay calm, failing all the same. "All of him. Forever." _

"_We don't have a choice. You have to listen to us," said the voice of a female; probably a healer. _

"_Does it have to be this way?" asked another female voice; a younger sounding one, this time, though. _

"_I'm sorry, Astrid, it does," said the first voice. _

"_But it's not fair, Gobber!" said the younger girl voice. "Why should Hiccup be the one to pay for our mistake!?"_

"_Astrid, we don't have a choice now," said the first voice. "If we don't take the rest of his leg, the wound will take _him_." _

"_But Gobber, he's still so young," said the second voice._

"_I know, Stoick," said the first one. "Believe me, I know. But we have to do this." _

_There was a heavy sigh. "Fine. Do it." _

_There was a blinding pain in his leg, and he found himself screaming, before he blacked out once more. _

Hiccup screamed and bolted upright. It was the same dream every time, and he couldn't get it out of his head. Three days. It had only been _three days_. Three days since he had woken up after the battle with the Red Death. Three days since he lost his leg.

As soon as he regained his wits, he swung his legs - well, _leg _now...man it hurt to think about - over the side of his bed and made sure he had the right one. It had become a habit for him; every time he woke up, he would always make sure he still had at least one leg. Because before, he had been knocked out, and then woke up with a part of himself missing.

Hearing a familiar roar from a certain Night Fury, Hiccup instantly jumped to his feet - _foot. _Ugh, what was once plural was now singular - and ran over to his window, looking down at Toothless. The Night Fury - the "Unholy offspring of lightning and death itself" - was bounding in circles, a gummy smile on his face.

"I'm coming, Toothless!" Hiccup called to the dragon. "Give me a few minutes!"

Toothless grunted and sat down like a puppy dog, waiting patiently for his master. Hiccup nodded to the dragon and raced down the stairs and out the door. As soon as he stepped outside, Toothless met him.

"Hey, buddy," said Hiccup. "You ready to go flying?"

Toothless grunted happily and ran circles around his rider, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his teeth sheathed. Once he finished bounding around his rider, he licked him.

"Okay, okay, I know you do!" said Hiccup, wiping dragon saliva off his face with a moan of disgust. "Come on, bud." Toothless turned and waited for Hiccup to mount him. Once he did so and clicked his prosthetic into the foot pedal, Toothless spread his wings, and shot into the morning sky.

This was something Hiccup had come to enjoy; waking up every morning with his dragon eager and raring to go flying. Flying was what helped Hiccup take his mind off everything else.

After flying for a good hour, Hiccup and Toothless headed back to the village. They landed in the plaza, just in time to see Astrid and Fishlegs wave to them. Hiccup dismounted as they ran over to him, followed by their dragons.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Astrid greeted.

"Hey," Hiccup replied. "So how's it been going with Stormfly?"

"Better than expected, actually," said Astrid.

"And Fishlegs," said Hiccup, "how about Meatlung?"

"Never been better, Hiccup!" said Fishlegs, almost excitedly. "Meatlung and I have already pretty much bonded!"

Meatlung, as if confirming what her rider stated, licked Fishlegs' face.

"Well, glad to see you two getting along with your dragons," said Hiccup.

"And it's good to see you getting along with your prosthetic," said Astrid. "You're not limping very much anymore."

"Nope," said Hiccup. "I suppose I really am getting used to this..._thing_."

"And it's only been three days," said Fishlegs. "You'll get the hang of it in no time!"

"Um...yeah, no time," said Hiccup. He wouldn't have said it out loud at that moment, but he really wasn't in the mood for talking about his prosthetic. It wasn't something new. It was something _missing_. The prosthetic was replacing something he had lost. It wasn't as big of a deal to Hiccup as it appeared to be for the other villagers.

Hiccup would always live with his hunk of metal for a leg as a reminder of a part of him that he lost forever. He would always look at his prosthetic and remember. He didn't have two legs. He had _one_.

Most people would use it as a badge of honor; not him. No, not him for _sure_.

"Hello?" said Astrid, waving her hand in front of Hiccup's face.

Hiccup shook his head and stared at her. "What?" he asked.

"You kind of zoned out there for a second," said Fishlegs. "It was weird."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Well," he said, "I guess I should leave you to do...whatever you were doing."

"Can't do that," said Astrid. "We were looking for you."

"We had some questions," said Fishlegs.

"Well, okay, shoot," said Hiccup.

"We haven't talked much since...well...you know," said Fishlegs. "And we have a few questions...it's just...how did you train Toothless in the first place?"

Toothless, who had become bored with the conversation, bounded away after a Terrible Terror, chasing him while the Terror shrieked in...well..._terror_.

"Yeah," said Hiccup, laughing at the sight of his dragon. "I suppose I should tell you, huh?"

Fishlegs and Astrid nodded eagerly.

"Here you go," said Hiccup. "How I trained Toothless: fish, patience, and no weapons."

"That sounds so simple," said Fishlegs.

"Once you form a bond, it _is _simple," said Hiccup. "Once you gain a dragon's trust, their loyalty is forever."

"Sweet!" said Fishlegs. "I guess I should tell Ruffnut and Tuffnut, then, before they get themselves killed with their dragon."

"Yeah, I guess that would be best," said Hiccup.

"Okie dokie, see you guys later!" said Fishlegs. Then, he turned, called to Meatlung, and then ran in the opposite direction.

"Bye Fishlegs," Astrid and Hiccup called in perfect unison.

Once Fishlegs was gone, Hiccup sighed. "The twins, out of all people, had to get the Zippleback," he groaned. "The _Zippleback." _

Astrid laughed. "Well, they didn't have much of a choice," she said. "If they didn't get it, then I guess Snotlout would have gotten it."

"I take it back about the twins," said Hiccup.

"I thought you might," said Astrid, and smirked. "So what now?"

"No idea," said Hiccup. "I suppose we could race?"

"Dragon race," said Astrid. "Sure you're up to it?"

"Yep," said Hiccup. He whistled to Toothless, and the Night Fury came running over. Hiccup mounted him and turned around, seeing Astrid had already mounted her own Deadly Nadder.

"You ready?" said Astrid.

"Yes," said Hiccup. "Are you?"

"You bet," said Astrid. "Ready, set, GO!"

Their dragons shot into the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Hiccup didn't know what to feel other than anger.

Maybe it was completely ignorant to be angry at someone who had already apologized for the wrong they did, but he was. He was angry at his friends. He was angry at Berk. He was angry at Astrid.

The more he thought about it, the less focused he became on the race he was _supposed _to be participating in. Ever since waking up after being in a coma for a week after the fight with the Red Death, he had been bombarded with apologies by villagers, but it wasn't so much that. He had also been bombarded by blasts of the not-so-distant-past.

_Useless. Worthless. Weak. Pathetic. Excuse for a viking. Mistake. Screw up. Runt. You don't belong here. Stoick's little embarrassment. You're hopeless! The most useless viking ever known. _

All those names and insults. It wasn't so much the insults that hurt him as much as it was the fact that it was his own people who created them in it of themselves. The people from the island he was _born into_.

Wasn't fate cruel?

It wasn't his fault he was different. It wasn't his fault he was made of brain instead of brawn. It wasn't his fault people didn't accept him. It wasn't his fault he didn't fit in. He didn't want to be different. He didn't want to stand out. He didn't want any of things he was.

Then why was he?

Yes, fate was cruel.

_The world would be better if you never existed! You should leave. No one would miss you if you did. Hiccup the Useless! _

"Hiccup, in front of you!" Astrid shouted.

Hiccup was jerked out of his thoughts - almost literally. Toothless swerved sideways, narrowly avoiding the side of a mountain.

"What was that!?" Astrid shouted. "I've been calling your name for roughly three minutes!"

"Sorry, Astrid," said Hiccup. "Just...a bit lost in thought, I guess."

"Well, don't do it again," said Astrid. "Next time, you might not be so lucky."

He didn't understand why she cared; she hadn't cared before. Why the sudden change? Of course, he had killed the Red Death, befriended a Night Fury, and saved the entire village from their doom, but still. What changed? Why did everyone care all of a sudden?

"Forget the race," said Astrid. "Let's land, if that's okay with you."

"It's fine," said Hiccup. _No one would care about what I have to say anyway_, he silently added.

Astrid and he directed their dragons towards the ground below. They landed in Raven Point, slightly close to where the cove was located. Astrid and Hiccup dismounted their dragons. Hiccup tried not to notice Astrid walking towards him, but it was near impossible.

"What were you thinking about?" asked Astrid.

"Nothing important," Hiccup answered.

"Well, it is important," said Astrid. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You nearly slammed into a mountainside from thinking about whatever you were thinking about. What was it?"

"Why do you care?" Hiccup said. "No one's cared about what I've had to say for fifteen years. Why do you care all of a sudden?"

Astrid looked at him, a pained look on her face.

"Oh gosh," Hiccup stuttered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Yes you did," said Astrid.

"I-I didn't," said Hiccup. "I really didn't."

"Hiccup," she said, "I thought we were past that."

"W-we are," said Hiccup. "I just...you've already apologized and everything..."

"Then what's wrong?" Astrid asked.

"It's just..." said Hiccup. He sighed. "Everyone on Berk apologized saying that they were sorry for not seeing my purpose."

"Yeah," said Astrid. "So what's the matter?"

"No one apologized for _the way _that they treated me," said Hiccup. "They only apologized, saying that they were sorry for not seeing the truth, for not being open...they never apologized because it was wrong to treat _anyone _the way they treated me."

"Maybe they just don't see it," said Astrid.

"It's not just that, Astrid," said Hiccup. "I just can't help but think...what if I had been wrong?"

"Come again?" said Astrid.

"What if I had been wrong about dragons?" said Hiccup. "What if they really _were _just mindless beasts who knew nothing but kill? Would things have changed? Would I have friends now, if I had been wrong?"

Astrid didn't answer.

"Answer me," said Hiccup.

She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again.

Hiccup gave her an "I-knew-it" look. "That's what I thought," he said. "People don't accept me for who I am."

"That's not true-"

"Yes, you know it is," said Hiccup. "They only accept me because I was right. They only accepted me because I saved them. What if I had failed? What if dragons were vicious beasts who couldn't even be trained? What if I was completely incorrect? I don't...my life would be different, wouldn't it?"

"Hiccup-"

"Stop," said Hiccup. "Just stop. You don't argue because you know I'm right. Astrid, you know I'm right. You can't deny it any longer. It's...it's been three days, and...I don't know. I don't know. That's it, I don't know! I would either be exiled or killed this time right now if I had been wrong about dragons, heir or not."

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," said Astrid. "I'm sorry I mistreated you your whole life. I...I want...I _don't _want to hold onto _this-" _She gestured not only to Hiccup, but to herself as well "-any longer. It's just tearing things up."

"I still don't know why you care," said Hiccup. "You never even answered my first question."

"I care because I was _wrong_," said Astrid. "Hiccup, I was _wrong_. I was wrong about you. I shouldn't have treated you so horribly throughout the years. I shouldn't have tried to avoid you. I should have been trying to be friends with you while you were friendless. I should have done a million things that I just didn't do, or even think about doing. I should have done something. I should have stood up for you. I should have...done _something_, at least. Anything was better than what I did. I'm sorry. Can...can we at least be friends?"

"Good grief, Astrid!" Hiccup shouted. "I never _said_ we weren't friends!"

"Doesn't matter," said Astrid. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Hiccup turned to her, his piercing green eyes shining with tons of emotions Astrid couldn't read. "Well, thanks," he said. "And...I forgive you."

Astrid, without hardly thinking about it, stepped forward and hugged him. At first, Hiccup tensed, but then he returned it, wrapping his arms around the girl.

"I don't want to do that again," said Hiccup.

"And so we won't," said Astrid.

_**THE END**_


End file.
